From the ancient days of the Egyptian pharaohs, river Nile has been a top destination in Egypt travel. Luxury cruises in the Nile are today among the most enjoyable activities while on holiday in Egypt. The cruise affords you the chance to see most of the historical sites of ancient Egypt along the banks of the Nile, while enjoying your Egypt vacation in a relaxed manner. Fully equipped with restaurants, discotheques, lounge bars, shops and swimming pools, the Nile cruise ships are in actual sense floating hotels.
Typically, most Nile Egypt cruisers have smaller rooms than those found in hotels on land. The rooms are air-conditioned and are spacious enough to accommodate a twin bed, nightstand, dresser, a private shower, and a TV set. The cruisers are star graded just like ordinary hotels, based on the quality of service. The top (5-star) rated Nile cruisers rival luxury ocean cruise ships in amenities and facilities. According to many people who travel to Egypt, the Nile cruisers have a romantic setup that is unrivaled by riverboats in other parts of the world.
Nile cruises may take three nights, four nights, or seven nights. On the trip, you will get to see a good number of the important sites and monuments of ancient Egypt especially on the more popular and considerably shorter cruise between Luxor and Aswan. If you are on a budget or have an adventurous heart, you may opt for sailing the Nile in a felluca " the traditional nile sailing vessels. The felluca option lacks most of the amenities of the luxury boats, but helps you save on costs.
River Nile is deep calm and is at its most glorious at the Aswan - in deed a good place to embark on your Nile cruise. Aswan was for long Egypts southern frontier city and gateway to Africa. This was the region known as Upper Egypt, being upstream of the Nile. After Aswan, the Nile passes through a section of hard rock, resulting in rapids or cataracts.
One of the historical attractions in Aswan is the Nubian museum, which highlights Nubian culture from way back in time. Nubians are the dark-skinned residents of Aswan who are closely related to the northern Sudan people. You can see several Nubian villages at Elephantine island in the Nile.
Kom Ombo is another historical site along the Nile, situated about 48km north of Aswan. Its main attraction is the Greco-Roman temple, whose construction was started in the second century BC by Ptolemy VII. A number of successive Roman emperors contributed to completing its construction, including emperor Augustus around 30BC.
The so called Greco-Roman temple actually consists two separate temples, with separate entrances, sanctuaries, hypostyle halls, and colonnades. The temples are dedicated to different gods, with the northern temple honoring Horus, the falcon god, and the northern one dedicated to the crocodile god " Sobek. You can see mummified crocodiles in the northern temple.
Luxor is one other must-visit destination during your Nile cruise. The city is home to diverse historical monuments whose range and magnificence is unrivaled by any other location in Egypt. The city also went by the Greek name of Thebes. At around 2040 BC, Luxor was the capital city of Egypt. The Assyrians unsuccessfully attempted to destroy Thebes in the 7th century. After that, Luxor's stature declined steadily till the Romans destroyed it in the first century BC.
The necropolis complexes in the valley of the kings is one of the main attractions in Luxor, alongside the valley of the queens, and the tombs of the nobles. A number of temples also straddle the Luxor region. Being on the west bank of the Nile, Luxor was the burial ground for the royals and the nobles, owing to the Ancient Egyptians tradition of burying their dead in the direction of the setting sun.
The best time to take a Nile cruise is over the cooler months of November to March. These are also the peak months and it is advisable to start out early each day to avoid crowds. When visiting the monuments, you are advised to hire a guide who will explain the historical context at each site. The services of a guide are usually included on a Nile Cruise package.
Typically, most Nile Egypt cruisers have smaller rooms than those found in hotels on land. The rooms are air-conditioned and are spacious enough to accommodate a twin bed, nightstand, dresser, a private shower, and a TV set. The cruisers are star graded just like ordinary hotels, based on the quality of service. The top (5-star) rated Nile cruisers rival luxury ocean cruise ships in amenities and facilities. According to many people who travel to Egypt, the Nile cruisers have a romantic setup that is unrivaled by riverboats in other parts of the world.
Nile cruises may take three nights, four nights, or seven nights. On the trip, you will get to see a good number of the important sites and monuments of ancient Egypt especially on the more popular and considerably shorter cruise between Luxor and Aswan. If you are on a budget or have an adventurous heart, you may opt for sailing the Nile in a felluca " the traditional nile sailing vessels. The felluca option lacks most of the amenities of the luxury boats, but helps you save on costs.
River Nile is deep calm and is at its most glorious at the Aswan - in deed a good place to embark on your Nile cruise. Aswan was for long Egypts southern frontier city and gateway to Africa. This was the region known as Upper Egypt, being upstream of the Nile. After Aswan, the Nile passes through a section of hard rock, resulting in rapids or cataracts.
One of the historical attractions in Aswan is the Nubian museum, which highlights Nubian culture from way back in time. Nubians are the dark-skinned residents of Aswan who are closely related to the northern Sudan people. You can see several Nubian villages at Elephantine island in the Nile.
Kom Ombo is another historical site along the Nile, situated about 48km north of Aswan. Its main attraction is the Greco-Roman temple, whose construction was started in the second century BC by Ptolemy VII. A number of successive Roman emperors contributed to completing its construction, including emperor Augustus around 30BC.
The so called Greco-Roman temple actually consists two separate temples, with separate entrances, sanctuaries, hypostyle halls, and colonnades. The temples are dedicated to different gods, with the northern temple honoring Horus, the falcon god, and the northern one dedicated to the crocodile god " Sobek. You can see mummified crocodiles in the northern temple.
Luxor is one other must-visit destination during your Nile cruise. The city is home to diverse historical monuments whose range and magnificence is unrivaled by any other location in Egypt. The city also went by the Greek name of Thebes. At around 2040 BC, Luxor was the capital city of Egypt. The Assyrians unsuccessfully attempted to destroy Thebes in the 7th century. After that, Luxor's stature declined steadily till the Romans destroyed it in the first century BC.
The necropolis complexes in the valley of the kings is one of the main attractions in Luxor, alongside the valley of the queens, and the tombs of the nobles. A number of temples also straddle the Luxor region. Being on the west bank of the Nile, Luxor was the burial ground for the royals and the nobles, owing to the Ancient Egyptians tradition of burying their dead in the direction of the setting sun.
The best time to take a Nile cruise is over the cooler months of November to March. These are also the peak months and it is advisable to start out early each day to avoid crowds. When visiting the monuments, you are advised to hire a guide who will explain the historical context at each site. The services of a guide are usually included on a Nile Cruise package.
About the Author:
The author works with Africapoint, online Africa travel agents that provide Egypt travel and Egypt hotels reservation services.
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